Shavuos is the anniversary of the revelation at Mount Sinai in the year 2448 Anno Mundi (Latin for "in the year of the world"). At that time the holy One, blessed be He proclaimed the Ten Commandments before the people of Israel in awesome glory and beauty. This was preceded by a message that they were being chosen to be a sacred kingdom and a nation of rabbis. Next detailed laws were given, followed by a festive meal that included a breathtaking view of the blue heavens, after which Moshe's our teacher was discharged to receive instructions for the building of the Temple.
This is often compared to the midrash which says, “a maidservant saw at the (Red) sea what Isaiah and Ezekiel did not see.” The idea is that there was a great perception of G-d and His will. The vision of Ezekiel is the haftora for Shavuot. It took place in Babylon by a town called Tel Aviv. The vision resembles a dream. In it there is a storm wind, followed by a big cloud, a crackling fire, surrounded by a glow with flashes of lightning. These are representations of the anxiety, confusion, attraction, serenity, and insight that come with prophesy.
Out of the fire appears four angels, who have four faces and four wings. These are representations of the four letters of the tetragrammaton. The external aspect of the name of Hashem has now appeared to the prophet in a veiled form. Next he sees four sets of gears which represent the internal aspect of the name of Hashem. Finally he sees a semblance of a man on a throne in a royal court. This is a vision of the holy One blessed be He, himself. Hashem tells Ezekiel that Israel is obstinate, rebellious, and malicious towards religion. Even so he should rebuke them so they will know that there is a prophet among them. The vision ends with a mighty tumult declaring, “Blessed is the glory of Hashem from his place”.
The vision of Isaiah has similar imagery but the message is different. The word of G-d will be present but will neither be understood nor penetrating. This will last until the land of Israel is desolate. The people will be consumed consumed in exile until all that remains is a seed of holiness in their root.
The book of Amos does not have the imagery. It rebukes the northern kingdom of Israel for selling out the righteous, persecution of the poor, ignoring the humble, and sacreligious sexual perversion. When Amos prophecies that because of this, horrible things will happen to the kingdom and its people, their response is to expelled him. He leaves, but when doing so, curses the official who presented the demand. He then prophecies that their will be a famine not for food rather for the word of G-d. People will search for it but not find it. The book ends by saying eventually Israel will recognize its true calling in the world and return to Hashem and He will joyfully accept their repentance and shower them with blessings.
The lesson of Shavuot is that G-d owns the world. He wants a relationship with His creation, but will conceal Himself if strongly rejected by his creation. This will result in all sorts of misery. A proper relationship is based on proper behavior. At the minimum the Ten Commandments must be kept. If this is done the result will be a peaceful world filled with wisdom, glory, opulence, and splendor.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment